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A Discussion of Symbolism in Clothing

Relation to any youth movement is understood by teenagers as a collection of outward signs like fashion.

That is why members of various youth movements attach such great importance to the hairstyles, clothes, and all kinds of jewelry. Youth movements, starting with associations visibly acquire attributes, known as united centers. These are meeting places, characteristic details of the appearance, symbolism, specific words and phrases. Symbolism in clothing of young people belonging to different youth movements is everything that externally distinguishes this movement from other groups.

Attributes is a means of communication and identification. It can be visible (clothes, hairstyle, jewelry) or audible (language, music). These signs are a means for young person to show who they are. In addition, it is a means of acquiring the status in the environment, since norms and values in youth subcultures are generic, their mastery is mandatory and is a way of self-affirmation. Every youth subculture is characterized by a specific set of attributes and symbols. And it is a combination of several attributes that shows the belonging of a teenager to a particular movement.

For example, a skinhead can have some hair style on a shaved head, even though the name skinhead doesn’t assume that. However the presence of light jeans or military pants, rolled up or tucked into high combat boots is necessary.

A characteristic attribute of the West punk is crest of hair on the head with shaven temples. Skinheads ideologically can have piercings, including in the ears, while the punks must have piercing.

Symbols of the movements can the specific symbols (logos, labels) of different rock bands, groups, associations, and political movements. The main goal of young people is to look different from adults. Each age stratum of teenagers tries to form their own youth fashion, distinguishing it from the previous age layer. This leads to a very rapid dynamics of changes in conventional attributes of youth on any given period of time.

Attributes of young people actively incorporate the elements of traditional symbols of youth subcultures. All of these make it difficult to clearly distinguish representatives of informal movements and persons who have no relation to them based on the external characteristics and symbolism in clothing.

Relation to any youth movement is understood by teenagers as a collection of outward signs like fashion.

That is why members of various youth movements attach such great importance to the hairstyles, clothes, and all kinds of jewelry. Youth movements, starting with associations visibly acquire attributes, known as united centers.